Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 113 (Part 1)

With smoke billowing high behind them, Rodin and his companions’ carriage headed westward.

Over the course of two days, Rodin completed the construction of an aura training room in a single carriage. Working in a space too cramped to stand had left his back stiff.

“Ahh, feels good to have one of these finished.”

This wasn’t just any ordinary aura training room. He had integrated a magic circle that converted mana into aura and another that accumulated mana.

In addition, he had engraved magic for temperature regulation, minor disease treatment, and even to provide a sense of tranquility. It was a complex mix of spells that he had carefully activated.

“Should I start working on the next carriage? Maybe inscribe a few more magic circles on the outside?”

The work wasn’t over yet. So far, he had only engraved the necessary magic inside the carriage.

He intended to inscribe defense magic on the exterior to block arrows and enhance its durability. If possible, he also wanted to include refraction and restoration magic, but the chances of that were slim.

“It’s not the mana stones that are the problem, it’s the carriage itself.”

The material of the carriage wasn’t ordinary wood; it was crafted from osprey wood, known for retaining magical power well.

However, compared to something like Arovaine wood, it fell short. Inscribing a fifth-circle restoration spell on wood of this quality was no simple task.

“Let’s finish up with the training room first.”

Having turned the carriage driven by Karis into an aura training room, it was now time to transform the one driven by Jena into a mana training room, which would also take around two days.

“The sky’s looking pretty dim.”

“My lord, it’s lunchtime.”

“Lunchtime? Are you sure?”

“Yes, it’s dark, but according to the time, it’s lunchtime.”

The volcanic ash blanketing the sky had cast a dark shadow over the area.

Since yesterday, the sun barely seemed to rise, as if day and night were trapped in a cycle of dusk.

“Let Jena know.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Soon after, the carriage came to a stop in a reasonably sized clearing beside the road. The carriages were lined up in a way that, if necessary, they could form a barricade.

“Rodin! Is it time to eat?”

“Yes, let’s have lunch here before moving on.”

Matthew efficiently took out the cooking tools from the carriage, displaying his role as the designated cook for the group.

“My lord.”

“What’s wrong?”

“There are traces of a beast here.”

“A beast?”

Rodin had heard that magical beasts were more common on the central continent than in the western one. Bron had once mentioned that this made it a favorable place for mercenaries to work.

Yet Rodin had never once encountered a magical beast, not even a carcass.

“This way.”

“Is that a footprint?”

In the spot where Karis pointed, a footprint unlike that of a human was imprinted in the soil. It was almost 40 centimeters long and different in shape from a human’s foot.

“It looks like a troll.”

“A troll… I’ve only ever heard about them. Never seen one.”

In a city as large as the Marquess of Richmond’s domain, magical beasts rarely appeared. Usually, they were hunted down before approaching, and even if they did, they couldn’t surpass the soldiers and knights on the city walls.

Rodin, however, had seldom ventured outside his territory, let alone his home.

Living in a place without magical beasts, it was no surprise he’d never seen one.

“What should we do? Search the area?”

“No, leave it be. We’ll deal with it if it gets closer.”

“Understood.”

While Rodin and Karis briefly scanned the surroundings, Bianca lit a campfire. The flow of magic she used to ignite it was surprisingly smooth.

“Rodin, where’d you go?”

“I went to check on a beast’s footprint.”

“A beast! I want to see one!”

Bianca’s carefree attitude toward beasts brought a wry smile from Matthew.

Matthew had seen magical beasts many times and knew well how frightening they could be.

“Bianca, beasts are dangerous. Even with Lord Rodin here, you must always remain cautious.”

“Have you seen a lot of beasts, Uncle Matthew?”

“Yes, I’ve encountered them quite a few times while mining in the mountains.”

For someone without formal training, mining was one of the few jobs that could offer good money.

That was why Matthew became a miner at the young age of seventeen, hoping to earn enough to support his mother and let her rest.

The mountains where miners worked lay outside the territory. The journey there for mining often meant coming across magical beasts.

“Are they really that scary?”

“Yes, terrifying. When we encountered beasts, we couldn’t think about our comrades. Running was the only way to survive.”

“You didn’t fight them?”

Such a statement was bold for a mere first-circle mage.

Most magical beasts were stronger than a first-circle mage, meaning Bianca had a slim chance of surviving an encounter.

“As miners, we didn’t have the strength to fight. Fortunately, many beasts were slower than us, so we managed to escape. But plenty of my friends weren’t so lucky.”

“Oh! I’m sorry, Uncle Matthew. I think I was too careless with my words.”

“No need to apologize. You’ve never seen a magical beast. Just remember to be cautious.”

Whenever he left the fortress walls of his territory, Matthew would pray not to encounter a beast, as did everyone who stepped outside those walls.

Margaret, who had since passed away, would tremble whenever she heard of a beast sighting, worrying all day if her son would come home safe.

“So that’s why mercenaries are needed.”

“But miners don’t have the money to hire mercenaries. If we did, we wouldn’t be mining in the first place.”

Magical beasts were a problem throughout the central continent. Families who had lost loved ones to beasts were a common sight in every country and territory.

“Alright. I was just saying.”

“Bianca, that was a bit insensitive. Apologize to Uncle Matthew and get ready for lunch.”

“Yes. Uncle Matthew, I’m sorry.”

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